So why is the 2012 Ladera Cabernet—made from almost entirely from Howell Mountain fruit, from an incredible vintage—sitting pretty at $34.99? I honestly can't tell you. Maybe it's because no one knows how good the Ladera holdings in Howell Mountain are. Or maybe it's the pride that winemaker Jade Barrett takes in making a serious wine for a reasonable price. Or maybe it's because Ladera is an overlooked gem in a sea of Napa alternatives. For whatever the reason, I'm not going to complain. We tasted the 2012 vintage at our staff training yesterday and I was just floored by the quality of this wine. Dark, fleshy fruit cloaked in fine tannins, bits of earth, and in total balance, with enough gusto to go the long haul in your cellar. It's a whole lotta wine for $34.99, and it's made primarily from Howell Mountain grapes, harvested during a great vintage.

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What’s your position at K&L and how long have you been with the company?

My business card says “wineguy,” a term that suits my endeavors, both present and future, fairly well I’d say. I’ve only been working atK&L for about four months. I did, however, spend close to a decade, first as a supplier rep and then as a wholesale sales manager, trying to sell vast quantities of wine to K&L, something which was met, every now and again, with varying levels of success.

What did you do before you started working here?

Just prior I was the wine director/sommelier at Pizzeria Mozza. Just prior to that, I was on a 4 and ½ month trip around the world. And just prior to that, I worked as a portfolio and sales manager in Northern California, again, trying hard to get my wines placed at K&L.

What’s your favorite movie?

Wow, tough question. I’ve always thought The English Patient is one of the most poignantly beautiful films I’ve ever seen.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Listen to music, read, cook, hang with my fiancée, go to the gym, ride my bicycle, drink lots of beer, and wish I had more spare time to do all of the above plus snowboarding, scuba diving, surfing and traveling.

What was your “epiphany wine”—the bottle or glass that got you interested in wine? Is there a current wine that you consider the equivalent?

October of 1995 on the steps of the cathedral in Toledo, Spain, at sunset. Not sure what that fellow backpacker and I drank straight out of the bottle that afternoon, but I did have a revelation, and knew wine would be a part of my life forever. That, or ’78 La Tache.

Describe your perfect meal (at a restaurant or prepared at home). What wine(s) would you pair with it?

Wow, another tough one. A fall afternoon at the Hog Island Oyster Co. on Tomales Bay, fiancée, six or seven dozen fresh shucked Kumumotos with a tangy mignonette and a mag of ’88 Salon Champagne.

Per my analogy in the previous question, I prefer lower alcohol, higher acid, cool climate, complex wines, as opposed to huge, oaky monsters. Hugh Johnson once said, “When I finish a sip of wine, I want to be left with a question mark, not an exclamation point.” Bravo, well said chap! Oh, pretty much any beer under the sun, and I’m a coffee snob.

What words of advice do you have to offer people just getting into wine?

Find a “wine guru” you like, someone to whom you can ask a lot of questions, get advice, etc. Taste as many wines as you can. Read some. Most importantly, in the words of the esteemed Flava Flave, “don’t believe the hype,” and trust your palate.

If you could have dinner with any three people in history, who would you invite? What wine would you serve each of them?

Toughest question of them all. The prophet Mohammed, Buddha and Jesus Christ. Think what a fascinating conversation that would be. I don’t think any of them are big drinkers, but I would tempt them with some Krug Rosé, a mag of ’96 Leflaive Montrachet, a ’90 Jayer “Cros Parantoux” and ’88 Rouseau Clos de Beze to go with our vegetarian feast. Then some Racer 5 IPA’s late into the night.

The 2007 DRC Line-Up...There is something quite nice about being handed a glass of Champagne at 8:30 in the morning. It really helps get the palate going and wakes up the senses (at least for a little while). That’s how I started my day on Monday (February 8th) at the Pennisula Hotel in Beverly Hills when Aubert de Villaine was in town to present the 2007 vintage of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. I have been to several of these tastings and I have to admit, for me it is a nice change of pace. Literally. Usually I run though wines quickly, trying to get as much as I can out of them in as little time as possible. At this tasting, the seven wines were tasted side-by-side, and slowly over the course of an hour, with Mr. Villaine discussing the characteristics of the vintage and each wine in detail. Rather than drinking to decide whether we would take our allocation—that is kind of a given—the tasting gave me an overall impression of these wines and of the vintage in Burgundy as a whole.

The 2007s showed exceptionally well. It is a forward, elegant vintage that should not be described as “classic;” that term seems to be used for harder, more rustic wines such as 1996. The wines will show well upon release and should develop nicely over the next 10-15 years. Picking began on September 1st—very early. Usually when a harvest begins this early the wines are very high in alcohol, as in 2003. Monsieur Villaine said he had never seen a vintage picked so early where the wines showed so much elegance. Alcohol levels all remain in the 12.5 -13% range. This is partially because the flowering started in the extremely warm month of April. The most successful wines in 2007 will be the wines where winemakers recognized the elegance of the vintage and did not try to over-extract.

2007 DRC “Echezeaux” – Seemed a bit disjointed; a bit closed; this is a very good wine, but it has yet to come together.

2007 DRC “Grands Echezeaux” – More together than the first wine; silky fruit in the mid-palate but a bit short on the finish. Wonderful aromas.

2007 DRC “Richebourg” – Exotic nose, fresh, bright, silky texture, tons of sweet red fruits, spice and a hint of sweet herbs on the finish, which should develop with bottle age. Always one of my favorites.

2007 DRC “La Tache” – The La Tache is always my favorite of the bunch. Much more powerful and darker then the rest, this wine shows hints of tobacco, spice, earthy undertones and exceptional concentration. If I was to buy one wine to drink within 10 years this would be it.

2007 DRC “Romanée-Conti” – A more difficult wine to understand young. Delicate, sweet and slightly green, this wine is the most complex of the bunch. It is elegant and understated. Mr. Villaine says that that green characteristic is usually present when young, but with age those flavors develop into the wine. He says that when the La Tache is at its best, this wine will just be beginning to show its potential.

2007 DRC “Montrachet” – Hard not to love this wine young! Layered, creamy and concentrated, it has wonderful acidity and focus. It will age very well. Very different from the 2003, which was a fatter, richer style.

Mr. Villaine did talk a bit about the upcoming Corton project from vines they have recently acquired. The first vintage will be 2009, though he is still not sure if the wines will fall into the Romanée-Conti label or not. Still too early to tell; the quality of the wine will determine that. As for the progress, he is very happy.